The big question...

I know lots of people who enjoy blogging, but feel like they don't know what to talk about. I have - no such problem. In real life or here in bloggity-ville. I, unlike my Love, have never enjoyed silence.

There is a lot that I could talk about right now, like how I didn't get to brine my turkey this year because my Love dropped dish soap in my brine while it was cooling. Yeah, still makes me kinda sad...

So then I could tell you all about my c-r-a-z-y black Friday shopping experience yesterday! I was one of the psycho's that got to Wally's at 3:30 AM!! While I got some great deals, even I was questioning my own sanity...

Which brings me to the next thing I could discuss which is how my Love thinks I am insane for even going out, instead of watching football all day and eating left-overs. We don't remotely agree on the phrase, "thrill of the hunt"!

Or I could tell you how I had the worst moment in my career as mommy yesterday when I lost Caleb in a huge store with lots of people. I don't panic easily, but was absolutely hysterical. Thankfully, after the longest 5 minutes of my life he was found, looking for me, by a nice worker. He wasn't upset until he saw how unglued I was and then he started sobbing. Oh, how I love that little boy. Let's not talk about this anymore because it's starting to make me feel queasy!...

What I really want to talk about is my big dilemma right now. A dilemma that I have thus far been successful in evading, but can no longer. It starts with an S and ends with an A. Can you guess? Yep, the big man himself has suddenly invaded our home - in full force! And I don't quite know what I want to do about it.

Caleb and Luke wrote letters to Santa today. I was folding laundry when they kept coming in from the front porch to ask me how to spell things like "Darth Mal" and "Nintendo". Finally, I was super curious and went out there to see that they were up to. Caleb had already written Luke's letter for him and was working on his list. I didn't know what to say, so I walked back in the house wondering if my Love was saving someone's life or had time to counsel me on what to do. I decided against calling him at work for the 1000th time and just hoped that the boys would forget about this and move on.

They didn't. Instead they came in the house with their written letters sealed closed, "Santa" written on the outside along with their names, ages and sexes!..(So cute!)...and they were looking for stamps. Seriously.

From what I can gather, they got the idea from some of the neighbor kids. It doesn't help that people are always asking them what Santa is bringing them for Christmas. Or that they love the "Santa Clause is coming to town" song. *sigh*

Now Caleb, being the ever so inquisitive child that he is, has asked about Santa before. And I have been able to dodge the question. Which for this very perceptive child, has only made him more curious. I just don't know what to do.

There is something fun about believing in Santa. I did when I was a kid. And I have heard the theory - 'when they find out there's no Santa, perhaps they'll think Jesus isn't real either' - which I don't buy into because I know that never happened to me and I don't know anyone that has happened to. With that said, I don't want to lie to them either. Nor do I want them to be so wrapped up into Santa that they are more amazed by him than they are by our Savior's birth.

And therein lies my dilemma. I'd love some advice...how do you all handle this?

A WHOLE lot about NOTHING!

Soccer officially ended this past weekend and I am glad! I love that my kids play sports and think soccer is a great outlet for my boys, but by the last game I was ready to be done with it for a while. 2 practices, 2 different nights, 2 games, 4 kids and a hubby that couldn't make it most of the time is a handful. The boys had a great time and are looking forward to next season already!

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On our way to Caleb's last game, Ella threw up! So Daddy took Luke, Lily Kate and Ella home while I went to the game with Caleb. The Daddy is pretty much a Rockstar - by the time I got home he had given both girls a bath, cleaned out the van, washed and dried the girls clothes, washed the car seat and was feeding the kids. Yep, Rockstar status!

Yesterday morning when I went to get the girls, Ella had thrown up again in the night so I had to clean her and her bed. She didn't throw up again (thank God!!) but started running fever mid-day. By last night she seemed much better, but her sister was very fussy!

One of the hard parts about sickness and 4 kids is you are always waiting for that proverbial other shoe... I am just praying that if we all get it, it happens before Thanksgiving!!

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Speaking of Thanksgiving, I got all my groceries for the big day last night! I have had Thanksgiving at my house for the past...at least 6 years. Now that I think back I can only recall 1 Thanksgiving, since we have been married, that we went somewhere else. It was our first year of marriage. I love to cook for the holidays and while some of our friends offered to have us over, we opted to stay at home and have our family come here. I think it will be fun!

Every year I cook the same feast, using the same recipes, and it is delicious (if I do say so myself!) - sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, green bean casserole, frozen Rhodes rolls (this year I got wheat), and the only think I don't make homemade is the gravy. (Although, my stepmom will be here this year, so maybe that is what I will put her in charge of.) And then I am making 2 pumpkin pies and an apple. YUMMY!! Oh and I have brined the bird for the past 3 or so years, and this year I am trying a new brine recipe. If you have never brined your bird, you seriously don't know what you are missing. It is so moist, it's amazing. Simply amazing.

Yep, I'm getting excited!

Joseph works the day shift on Thanksgiving, which is actually a perfect shift since we don't usually eat until around 4.

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And while I am cooking this yummy feast, I plan to stay on target with my weightloss attempt at weight loss by starting my day off with a 4 miler Turkey Day Trot! Doesn't that sound fun?!

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The kids are off this week and it is our first school break! I had been looking forward to it until the first day and the kids behavior was awful. We had a serious talk with the offender(s) and yesterday was a marked improvement. It's hard with Ella sick because now we are going to be confined to the house and not be able to do the fun outings I had planned (and these boys need OUTings!). We will now go to plan B and that is having a craft day today. The Love is off tomorrow and plans to have a 'guys day out', which will be good for the boys (and their mama). And then the boys will have their teenage aunts and uncle here from Wed. to Sat. and they are so looking forward to that. Lots of attention. Personal attention.

The twins are SO active, that when they are awake, it is all I can do to keep up with them! They are at "that age" when if unsupervised, they find trouble to get into. And it really is double trouble because while I am getting one sister out of a mess, the other sister is finding a mess to get into. Whew, trust me when I say they are a handful anymore!!

It always makes me glad that we opted out of homeschooling this year. We had very wise friends, who homeschool, tell us that it would be very difficult with the age of the twins. Not impossible, just very difficult. I now see the wisdom in that. I love looking back and seeing how God does know what is best for us.

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Well, if you are still reading this novel, I am impressed! I'm off to start another day that I am sure will be full of adventure!

Raining Babies!

When I say that more than half my friends here are pregnant, I'm NOT joking!! In my closest circle of 7 ladies, 4 are pregnant. No fear, this mama is NOT!!

So I helped throw a shower for them. (Caleb is so cute - he kept asking, "How do you throw a shower?") Here are some of the pictures of my super cute preggo friends at their shower.

Here is the gang! Aren't they cute?! I really love these ladies!!

My Julie is having a GIRL!! She has two boys and now is having a girl. Pink, pink, pink!! I just wish she was having twin girls!!
Karen has a boy and girl and is having another girl!
And here is my Kellie - isn't she so photogenic?! Disgusting! She also has a boy and a girl and is having another girl!! I have been helping her with names, but I don't think that she appreciates my help.
Maggie has a little boy and isn't going to find out what she is having until the big day! I have no idea how people are able to do that?! I am such a control freak!!
The prego's!

WW Friday

Not good news. And I'm really discouraged.

Here is a peek at why I GAINED .02 pounds:

Friday - lifted, 30 min. of cardio
Saturday - nothing
Sunday - nothing
Monday - lifted, 45 min. of cardio
Tuesday - ran 5 miles at a 9:03/m pace
Wednesday - lifted, 45 min. of cardio
Thursday - ran 5 miles of intervals.

We didn't eat out much at all, so I have no idea why there was a gain. Depressing.

I'm learning

I have really felt God calling me to slow down. Not maybe so much in our schedule, but more so in my response to the kids.

Things can get crazy around here with a hubby that works a lot and 4 kids who are still pretty young. The noise level and demands are high. My kids are at an age where they are very dependant on me for help - with pouring drinks, wiping bottoms, making meals, seat belts, crossing streets, cutting food...the list seriously goes on and on. It really is exhausting.

And the smallest things slow us down. Way down. This mama who is on the go, doesn't like to be slowed down.

What I am especially impatient with is what I call, "drama". It's the tears because we can't find our favorite socks or arguing over what twin is going to sit in front of you, therefore refusing to get in the car or determining that you only want the green bowl, even though your cereal is already poured in the red bowl or taking our shoes off enroute to the store(and somehow losing them in the van!)... Yeah, these are the things that send my blood pressure up.

I really am impatient with these moments. But I have been quite convicted that these are the moments of motherhood. It's not always about serving a great meal, it's about serving some compassion when there are tears over socks. It's not always about creating the best family experiences, it's about using the day to day experiences to create the best family. It's in the small every day things that my character is being shown to the kids.

So for the past week I have really been trying hard to slow down. And I have seen it pay off.

Last night Caleb had his soccer party at Chuck E Cheese. We showed up with 50 tokens and then the coach gave us some more. Since it was just Caleb and I, I played a lot of the games with him. He loved it! Getting me one-on-one is a treat and he knows it and loves it. We would occasionally run into some of his teammates and they would say hi to him and try to talk to him, but he was being somewhat aloof. After he spent all his tokens and traded in his tickets he looked up at me and said, "Now what? I'm bored. There's nothing to do."

Are you kidding me? We are at Chuck's. I started to feel my blood rise at the ungratefulness, but took a deep breath and gave him some options of things that he could go and do. He started crying and didn't want to do any of them and just kept repeating that he was bored.

Now, this is usually where I start to get irritated. But instead, I tried to figure out what was going on with him. After many words on my part and lots of tears on his part, we decided to get his trophy and pictures and head home.

On our way to the car Caleb is crying and won't talk to me. I was starting to get frustrated again when he says, "I don't know how to say the words about how I feel."

Oh, my poor sweet boy. I pick him up and have him sit in the front seat with me and hold him while he cries. And then we start talking. Really talking. And I find out that he doesn't have any good friends on his team and doesn't feel like he fits in and feels left out. Stab in the heart. I felt terrible for him.

We ended up having a really good conversation. A really, really, really good conversation. A conversation that we wouldn't have had if I had been in my hurried mode.

These are the moments that I want to be remembered for. And they will only happen if I slow down. Thank you, Lord, for conviction!

My Little Ladies!

I have no time to blog today (although I have a lot to blog about!) so I thought that I would show you some pictures of my Yummy Little Twins!

Ella looking awfully serious.

This is one of their new favorite things to do - push one another in their little car. I just love it! Their like two little old ladies!

Some dance action - they have moves!

Do you think they still look alike?

Lily Kate

Ella Grace

The little old ladies stylin' their sunglasses!

Lily Kate

Ella
Drivin' Miss Ella
Delicious aren't they?? Love it!!!!!

WW Friday

Are you ready for this?...
It was a good week!! A very good week!!

Here is the nitty-gritty:

Friday: Lifted & 30 min of cardio
Saturday: Ran 5 miles
Sunday: off
Monday: Lifted & 30 min of cardio
Tuesday: Ran 5 miles
Wednesday: Lifted & 30 min of cardio
Thursday: Ran 3 miles

Not too bad considering I'm sick too! Yesterday I felt awful, thus the 3 mile run instead of my planned 5 mile run.

Now to the scale: I lost 2.2 pounds!! Wooo-hoooo!! I definitely think that sticking to my workout schedule, oh and that we didn't eat out EVERY day this past week was quite helpful! We actually only ate out twice and I think that may be one for the record books! Eating out is what really kills me. Not only is it not healthy, but it is also expensive. Note to self: eating out isn't good for the pocket book or the scale! I should probably tattoo that on my forehead!

My last piece of exciting news is that I signed up for my first half marathon! I am so nervous, but also so excited! It is in February, so I'm sure you will hear way more than you really want to know about all that in the next couple of months!!

Fabulous Five!!

Julie tagged me for Fabulous Five, so here goes...

5 years ago:

1. Joseph and I had been married for 2 years.
2. I only had 1 child! (I can barely remember what that was like)
3. We were living in Minot...
4. with grand dreams of going to medical school.
5. Lovey had a job that took him 5 minutes to drive to, worked from 7:30a-4:30p, came home for lunch everyday and I thought that he was gone way too much for my liking... Oh, how NAIVE I was!!

5 things on my list today:

1. Go to the gym.
2. Laundry. (always on the list)
3. Take a nap.
4. Make some new bows for my Twinkies.
5. Go to the store!

5 snacks I enjoy:

1. 100 calorie pack Oreo's.
2. Dried fruit.
3. Chips and salsa.
4. WW ice creams!
5. Frosty's from Wendy's.

5 things I would do if I were a millionare:

1. Visit our Compassion kids.
2. Give money to Samaritan's Purse.
3. Go to Tenwek with Joseph for a short term mission.
4. Take the kids on a trip around the world.
5. Buy Joseph that truck he's been wanting.

5 places I have lived:

1. Houston
2. St. Louis
3. Colorado Springs
4. Minot, ND
5. Silver Springs, MD

5 Jobs I have had:

1. Waitress - Planet Hollywood, Damons, Lonestar Steakhouse and Saloon - to name a few!
2. Nanny
3. Receptionist - Toni & Guy
4. Camp Counselor
5. MOMMY!!

5 people I tag:

• anyone who wants to play along!

WFM - Gifts that change lives!

Samaritan's Purse is one of our favorite organizations to support. They take care of the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of people all over the world, in the name of Jesus.

One of my favorite times of the year is when they send out their gift catalog. It is amazing to see how little money it takes to do things like care for an orphan for a month, or feed a hungry baby for a week, or buy a blanket , or even to buy a brood of chickens for a family to eat off of and sell - seriously the list is amazing and there is so much to choose from depending on how much (or little) you have to spend.

Last year we let Caleb pick out something that he would like to give and it was a great chance to talk with him about our responsibilities and how blessed we are! This year we will let both Caleb and Luke pick something.

Our kids don't get much for Christmas (from us anyway) because it isn't about what they are getting, it's about our Saviors birth and what Jesus gave and what they are giving. This is a great way to reaffirm that to them and more importantly, to ourselves! It's really hard as parents not to want to give your child all that they want for Christmas...and more. It's hard not to measure our job as a parents by how many gifts are under the tree. We're going to try hard this year not to do that by starting the season off with giving!

Please take some time to check out Samaritan's Purse gift catalog. Bless someone because I promise that you will walk away more blessed. We always do!

Works for us! For more ideas, head over to Rocks in my Dryer.

O'righty... It has been a couple of weeks since I have participated in Ten Things Tuesday and in honor of this thankful month, I thought I'd take a few seconds to jot down some things I am thankful for today...

1. ...My gorgeous friend Rebecca who made me laugh during...
2. a 5 hour shopping trip sans kids!
3. ...My wonderful hubby who doesn't bat an eyelash when I leave him to run the house (and fold 3 loads of laundry!!!) while I have fun with a friend.
4. ...that God knows all my needs and provides in perfect time.
5. ...TWO adorable little girls who allow me to "do girl hair"!
6. ...a 4 year old with the most adorable little face who is completely obsessed with how old people are!
7. ...a 6 year old who says, "I adore you mom!" a couple of times a day.
8. ...for organizations like Samaritan's Purse!
9. ...for the new friends we are meeting in our couples bible study.
10. ...for my wonderful mother-in-law! Thank you for the love and hard work you poured into your son to produce the amazing man that he is today! I'm sorry we missed your birthday...we love you so much!!

To see what others are giving thanks for today, head on over to xbox wife.

If I were President...

I would make it a law that there will be NO decorating for Christmas, playing of Christmas music, Christmas ads on tv, buying of Christmas presents or even talk of Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving!!!!

Seriously, I backed out of my driveway a couple of days ago and was appalled to see that my neighbor across the street was putting up her Christmas lights, decorating the lawn and had a wreath out to hang!

What is that all about? I still haven't put away my jack o'latern! It is absolutely NOT time to get out the Christmas decor.

So I did what I always do when I am outraged - called The Love to whine complain discuss the situation.

ME: You will never guess what I just saw?!
LOVE: (totally uninterested!) Ummm, no idea.
ME: E___'s mom is putting up their Christmas decorations!!!
LOVE: (totally unimpressed and possibly even bored!) They're getting started early.
ME: I am not going to stand for this! It is absolutely NOT time to decorate for Christmas. Isn't there some rule in our HOA about when you can decorate? This is ridiculous! Love, they're trying to ruin Christmas for me!!
LOVE: I doubt you even crossed their mind.

Ugh! That man never takes me seriously.

Then the icing on the cake came right after I hung up the phone with my totally unsympathetic and doesn't-even-try-to-pretend-this-registers-on-his-radar husband. I turned the radio on and heard, "Have a holly jolly Christmas..."

Why is everyone against me?

WW Friday

Not a good week...at all!!

I gained .4 pounds.

And I'm shocked I didn't gain more! Here is a break down of my eating and exercising for the past week. You, too, will be shocked I didn't gain more weight...

Friday: Ate out 2 times, Strength class
Saturday: Ate out 2 times, (and scarfed down lots of chocolate!) no exercise
Sunday: Ate out once, no exercise
Monday: DIDN'T EAT OUT - ALERT THE MEDIA!!, lifted & 30 min. cardio
Tuesday: Ate out once, ran 5 miles
Wednesday: Ate out 3 times!, no exercise
Thursday: Ate out once, ran 5 miles (averaging a 9:04 pace)

Yeah, so it is amazing that I didn't gain 5 pounds!! I plan on having a WAY better week next week!

Happy Birthday Love!!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
you smell like a monkey,
and live in a zoo!

In honor of your 30th birthday, I am writing 30 things that I love about YOU!

1. I love that when you walk in the door, the house gets even more chaotic because the kids are so excited to see you!


2. I love your sense of humor.


3. I love that you never let the kids get away with talking ugly to me.


4. I love going to the gym with you and working out together.


5. I love that you have more integrity than any person I have ever met.


6. I love that when I hear a noise in the night (and you KNOW it was nothing) you will get up and check the house for me...


7. and that you never get upset because by the time you are back to bed I am already back to sleep!


8. I love that when I am all worked up and telling you a story, you calmly and analytically correct the most minor details and completely miss what I'm being dramatic about. (Okay, I don't always love that, but it is so YOU that it makes me laugh...just not at the time!)


9. I love that you love to go on dates with me.


10. I love that you find joy in the small and simple things in life.


11. I love that I can talk to you about Jesus and my relationship with Him and you "get it".


12. I love that you will take all 4 kids to the grocery store for milk so that I can have 20 minutes of silence.


13. I love that when I have a "great idea" you only roll your eyes for a second before going along with my idea even if you don't "get it".


14. I love that you are so predictable and dependable.


15. I love that you will get everyone ready on Sunday mornings (I know, I know - as long as I pick out the outfits!) and wait patiently in the car while I finish getting ready.


16. I love that even though you aren't a "gusher" you gush over the girls! Girls need a gushing Daddy!!


17. I love that we don't speak the same language, but are always saying the same thing.


18. I love that you always let me have your pickles. It's especially sweet because you like pickles!


19. I love that you are so different than me.


20. I love that a great Sunday afternoon for you would be watching football, eating hot wings and drinking a beer.


21. I love that you always want to be better at everything you do (being a doctor, being a husband, being a dad) and that you never settle.


22. I love that you will watch my dumb DVR shows with me and try to keep your comments to a minimum.


23. I love hearing you talk in bible study and always think that you are so brilliant and have such wisdom. (Just don't try to use that on me at home...kidding...sort of!)


24. I love how you don't sweat the small stuff with the kids.


25. I love that when we are watching a movie, you never get mad at me when I ask you 1000 questions because I am confused - okay, so maybe you do get irritated, but you at least try not to let it show!


26. I love that I know how much you love me.


27. I love that when I ask you where you want to eat, you always pick places that you think I want to eat at.


28. I love listening to you sing in church. The noise itself isn't that great, but the devotion behind it is amazing.


29. I love that you know so much about all the things the boys are interested in.


30. I love being married to my best friend!!!

FROM CALEB
What would you to say to Daddy on his birthday?
I think Daddy's the best Daddy because he teach me lots of stuff.
Like what?
Like he can do lots of things with me, he loves me very much.
Anything else you want to tell Daddy?
Like he's the bestest Dad ever.

FROM LUKE
What do you love about Daddy?
I love that he tickles me.
What else?
When he rolls me and makes me laugh and sometime he plays the wildebeast game with me.
Is that all?
And that he likes Anakin.

FROM LILY KATE & ELLA (and Mommy's imagination!)
What do you love about Daddy?
We love that he tells us how pretty we look in our dresses.
Anything else?
And that he treats us like princesses and spoils us. Oh, and he gives us lots of kisses!

We love you!
Happy Birthday!!

The end is in sight!

It's late and I'm blogging. Never a good combination.

I am so thrilled that this election is almost over. T-H-R-I-L-L-E-D!! I am over all the candidates and am voting down the line on principle only. I have no strong convictions (about these candidates), only principles. I am sick of hearing about Mavericks, the economy, global warming, Rev Wright, Sarah Palin, terrorists, ACORN and I hope I never hear a politician say the word "change" - ever again. Because we don't know for sure who is going to win, this is what I know for sure:

The God that changed my life, doesn't change. He will be just as powerful tomorrow as He was today. Regardless of who is elected.

And that is what I'm hanging my hat on. Not J-Mac or OB, instead JC as in Jesus Christ, baby.

My name is Sab Mad, and I endorse this message.

Weekend Recap

Friday: Trick or Treat action...all WELL documented!

Saturday: The boys went with The Love and my stepdad to the air show! Super fun, and very anticipated event for all of them. The were there for almost 6 hours - a long time for the boys, but it sounds like they all had a blast. The boys each got overpriced souvenier airplanes (from their grandpa!) and lots of free air show stuff.

Poor Joseph, when he goes anywhere with the kids, I always want the play-by-play of everything that happened. Here is my favorite story of the day: By the end of the air show, the boys were wiped out from the heat and all the walking. So my stepdad (known as Geepa) put Luke on his shoulders. While up there Luke says, "Geepa, you have a hole in your hair!" Geepa responds, "Yep, I lost all my hair there didn't I?" Luke was quiet for a second and then excitedly said, "Nope, I just found one!"

While the boys went to the air show my mom, the girls and I went to the outlets for some shopping. I refrained from getting much for myself because I have high hopes of losing more weight. So the kids got stuff instead. It was fun to spend time with my mom and the babies. We had a good time and the girls were pretty good.

The top 3 questions I was asked at the outlets:

1. Are they twins?
2. How old are they?
3. What were they for Halloween? (very few people were impressed with the Ewoks!)

Sunday: I took the kids to church this morning while Joseph went to work and my parents went home. I'm really liking our church more and more lately. Then when I got home I did more laundry than any human should have to do. And I am currently sitting on the porch, enjoying the weather and waiting for my man to come and rescue me from my little Darlings! He is watching our 4 kids and my friend, Jacque's, 5 kids while we go out to dinner!! Isn't he the best?! It was his idea. Her hubby is deployed for 5 months and he thought she may need a break. I really love my man! He has worked all day and is going to come home and take care of 9 kids. See why I am always say he's a Rockstar?! And he's so brave!!

I'll let you know how it goes...